top of page
the-university-of-toronto-2727241_1920_edited_edited_edited_edited_edited.jpg

The COoKIE Group

Communication, Organization of Knowledge, Information Ecosystems 

What we Do

The COoKIE is an interdisciplinary Human-Computer Interaction research group focusing on Human-AI collaborative communication.

Our recent work touches on diverse technologies, including conversational agents, large language models, generative AI systems, and AI-based decision support systems. Seeking to advance Human-AI interaction design, we explore mechanisms driving the perceptions of different types of AI systems, such as trust, anthropomorphization, or perceived reliability to inform the system and algorithm design requirements for effective, efficient, and ethical AI.

Our Work is Supported by:

NSERC_logo.png

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)

sshrc_logo.jpeg

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC)

Naver_Logotype.svg.png

The Naver Corporation,

South Korea

iSchool_logo.jpeg

The Faculty of Information,

University of Toronto, Canada

Data Sciences Institute Logog.png

Data Sciences Institute,

University of Toronto, Canada

Current Research Areas

Human-Agent Communication

The growing complexity of intelligent systems creates a promising environment for the shift in a user experience paradigm: from pure human-system interaction to human-system communication and collaboration. This is further amplified by the increased popularity of entity-based system interfaces (artificial agents) and the integration of conversational user interfaces (CUI). The human-agent communication paradigm opens exciting opportunities to exploit a computer's unique abilities to complement humans. However, first, we need to understand the specifics of human-agent communication.

robots.jpg

AI-Based Decision Support Systems (ADS)

AI-integrated decision-making support systems allow to augment and extend human capabilities, improving the quality and efficiency of decisions. These systems use AI to learn, remember, analyze, and reason based on large amounts of often complex data. The successful use of these features requires an understanding of how they can appropriately complement human processes. To address these questions, we explore what aspects of augmentation are required in different scenarios, how the outcomes should be communicated and explained (xAI), and how to properly calibrate and, if needed, repair trust in systems' performance. 

Watching Stock Market

Information Architecture for Conversational UI

The intuitive nature of Conversational User Interfaces (CUI), fashioned after natural human conversation, allows for convenient and fast input and can serve as a single-channel input for multiple services, devices, applications, and even environments. However, due to the absence of visual clues, affordances, and spatial organization, the use of CUI is associated with a decreased sense of control over the information dynamics. We explore the perceived “locations”, “structure“, and “paths” of the information shared through CUI, to inform the required information architecture. 

documents.jpg

Meet the Team

Screen Shot 2023-10-17 at 20.38.56.png

Dr. Anastasia Kuzminykh

Assistant Professor, 

Faculty of Information,

Cross-ap. w. Computer Science, University of Toronto

Head of The COoKIE Group and the THAI RS

Rezvan Boostani.jpeg

Rezvan Boostani

Ph.D. Student,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Agents for Financial Assistants for Older Adults

Anshuta Kulkarni.jpeg

Anshuta Kulkarni

Master's Thesis Student,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Social Dynamics in Human-AI Communication

empty user.png

Peter Dushniku

Undergrad. Research Assist., 

Computer Science, Cognitive Science, Linguistics, 

University of Toronto

Conversation in Human-AI Communication

Kelsey Stemmler_edited.jpg

Kelsey Stemmler

External Research Assist.,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Human-AI Alignment and Bias Identification in AI

brennan-jones.jpeg

Dr. Brennan Jones

Postdoctoral Fellow

2024-2025,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Memory and Long-Term Human-AI Collaboration

Christina Wei_edited.jpg

Christina Wei

Ph.D. Student,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Architecture of Human-AI Conversation

Janet Lu.jpeg

Janet Lu

Master's Thesis Student,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Conversational Agents for Co-Design Assistance

Rimsha Rizvi.jpeg

Rimsha Rizvi

Lab Coordinator,

Master's Research Assist.,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Fairness and Explainability in Human-AI Collaboration

Angeline Sin Mei Tsui_edited.jpg

Dr. Angeline Tsui

External Research Assist., 

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Effects of AI Explainability on Human-AI Collaboration

taha hassan_edited.jpg

Dr. Taha Hassan

Postdoctoral Fellow

2024-2025, 

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Reliability and Trust in Human-AI Collaboration

Omid Veisi .jpeg

Omid Veisi

Ph.D Student, 

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Humanized AI in Human-AI Collaboration

empty user.png

Marco Chan

Master's Thesis Student,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

AI Adoption in Professional Communication Settings

Kshitij Anand .jpeg

Kshitij Anand

Master's Reading Student, 

Design Research Team,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Culturally Sensitive Conversational Agents

Shradha Anand.jpeg

Shradha Anand

External Research Assist.,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Document Exploration with Conversational Interfaces

Manveer_edited.jpg

Manveer Kalirai

Ph.D. Student,

Prev. Master's Thesis,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Conversational Recommender Systems

empty user.png

Peter Appiahene

Ph.D Student,  

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Model Development for Human-AI Collaboration

Dakshata Shukla_edited.jpg

Dakshata Shukla

Master's Research Assist., 

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Agents For Female Health in Developing Regions

formal_picture_edited.jpg

Dr. Senjuti Dutta

External Research Assist.,

Prev. Ph.D. Student

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Evaluation of Models in Human-AI Collaboration

Paula_119_edited.jpg

Paula Aoyagui

Ph.D Student, 

Prev. Research Assistant, 

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Argumentative Strategies in Verbal Explainable AI

harsh_edited.jpg

Harsh Kumar

Ph.D. Research Assistant,

Computer Science,

University of Toronto

Cog. & Behav. Impact of Human-AI Communication

Emily Su.jpeg

Emily Su

Undergrad. Research Assist., 

Statistics and Computer Science, University of Toronto

Conversation in Human-AI Communication

Yuxin Xu_edited.jpg

Yuxin Xu

External Research Assist.,

Prev. Master's Thesis,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Sense of Ownership in Human-AI Collaboration

Nazar Ponochevnyi.jpeg

Nazar Ponochevnyi

Ph.D. Student,

Prev. Mitacs Research Intern, Computer Science, 

University of Toronto

Developing Voice Interface for Data Visualization

nathan laundry_edited.jpg

Nathan Laundry

Ph.D. Research Assistant,

Computer Science,

University of Toronto

AI Assistance for Human Productivity

Huayin.png

Huayin Luo

Undergrad. Research Assist., 

Data Science, Molecular Genetics, University of Toronto

Backhanneling in Human-AI Communication

juctice.jpeg

Justice Cheng

External Research Assist.,

Prev. Master's RA,

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto

Operationalizing the Sense of Digital Ownership

Team

Alumni

formal_picture_edited.jpg

Senjuti Dutta

Ph.D. Student, Elect. Eng. & Computer Science, University of Tennessee, Knoxville

Adaptive Intelligent Systems for Crowdwork Flexibility

Ashvanth_edited.jpg

Ashvanth Rathinavel

Mitacs Globalink Research Intern, 2023, Faculty of Information, UofT

The Role of Modality in Human-AI Conversation

empty user.png

Kusum Grandhi

Mitacs Globalink Research, 2022, Faculty of Information, UofT. Modality-Dependant Decision Effects of AI Explanations

annie tan.jpeg

Annie Tan

Undergrad. Research Assistant,  Dept. of Computer Science, UofT. 

Verbal Explanaitions in Human-AI Collaboration

Olha Liuba_edited.jpg

Olha Liuba

Research Intern, 2023, 

Faculty of Information, UofT

Supporting Equal Participation in Group Discussions

K McConvey Headshot.jpeg

Kelly McConvey

Ph.D. Research Assistant,

Faculty of Information, UofT

Collaboration with AI Models in Education

Fatima Zohra.jpeg

Fatima Zohra

Master's Thesis Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. 

Bias Identification and Mitigation in ML

empty user.png

Marianna Kovalova

Research Intern, 2023, 

Faculty of Information, UofT

The Effects of Explanation Format on The Perceived Trustworthiness

Bill.png

Bill Than

NSERC USRA, BI student,

Faculty of Information, UofT

Engagement in Teleconferencing Classrooms During Covid-19

sharon_edited.jpg

Sharon Ferguson

Ph.D. Research Assistant,

Mech.& Industrial Eng., UofT

AI Explanations in Collaborative Subjective Decision Making

Mohammed Elkhechen.jpg

M. Elkhechen

Research Assistant,

Faculty of Information, UofT

Psychological Ownership in Human-AI Collaboration

mona_edited.jpg

Mona Abou Swaid

Master's Research Assistant,

Faculty of Information, UofT

Sense of Ownership Over Digital Artifacts

Janna Cameron.jpeg

Janna Cameron

Master's Research Assist.,Faculty of Information, UofT

Types of Trust in Human-AI Collaboration

Tanisha Amarakoon.jpeg

Tanisha Amarakoon

Research Assistant,

Faculty of Information, UofT

Psychological Ownership in Human-AI Collaboration

ak-photo-01 copy.jpg

Akriti Kaur

Master's Research Assistant,

Faculty of Information, UofT

Document Exploration Through Conversational Interfaces

yaqing_edited.jpg

Yaqing Yang

Mitacs Globalink Research Intern, 2023, Faculty of Information, UofT

Cross-Modality Alignment of Prompts for Art Generation

empty user.png

Hidaya Ismail

Research Assistant,

Faculty of Information, UofT

Psychological Ownership in Human-AI Collaboration

empty user.png

Mujgan Ozceylan

Master's Research Assistant, Reading Student, THAI RS'21

Faculty of Information, UofT

AI Explanations of Subtle Sexism

Nabila Chowdhury.jpeg

Nabila Chowdhury

PhD Research Assistant, 

THAI RS'22, Faculty of Information, UofT

Promt-Based Bias in AI Generated Art

Ripple Headshot.jpg

Juan Antonio Nelson

Research Assistant,

Faculty of Information, UofT

Speech Detection of Caribbean Dialects

Yihui Lu_edited.jpg

Yihui Lu

Mitacs Globalink Research Intern, 2023, Faculty of Information, UofT

Conversational Agents for Psychological Therapy

my face.JPG

Deepak Surya

Mitacs Globalink Intern, 2022, Faculty of Information, UofT. Text-to-Voice Conversation Style Transformation

Past Reading/Research Course Students:

Dakshata Shukla - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Health Agents For Women in Global South | S,F2023

Janna Cameron - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Types of Trust in Human-AI Collaboration | S,F2023

Omer Imran - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Bias Mitigation Techniques in ML | S,F2023

Amy WangMaster's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Attention Support Through Conversational Agent | S,F2023

Rimsha RizviMaster's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofTFairness and Explainability in Human-AI Collaboration | S2023

Fatima Zohra Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Accuracy Preserving Fairness Techniques for Financial Models| S2023

Anshuta Kulkarni Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Social Dynamics in Human-Agent Interaction | S2023

Janet Lu - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Conversational Agents for Co-Design Assistance | S2023

Kshitij AnandMaster's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofTConversation in Human-AI Collaborative Tasks | S2023

Batool Fatima - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Trust Mechanisms in Human-AI Collaboration | S2023

Lakshya - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Designing Human-AI Conversation | S2022

Mohammed Elkhechen - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofTHuman-AI Teams | S2022

Lakshya - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT.  Designing Human-AI Conversation | S2022

Shradha AnandMaster's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofTExploration of Documents Through Conversational Interfaces | S2022

Jinchi Lin - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Personalization of Disembodied Intelligent Agents | S2022

Lizhen Ying - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Anthropomorphization of Disembodied Agents | W2022

Paula Akemi - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. Designing Technology for Older Adults | F2021

Manveer Kalirai - Master's Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. The Adoption of Smart Home Technology in Everyday Use | S2021

Julia Gil Undergrad Reading Student, Faculty of Information, UofT. User Communication with Conversational Agents | S2021

Ruijia Yang Undergrad Reading Student, Computer Science, UofT. Simulation As a Research Method in HCI | W2021

Our Collaborators

Young-Ho-Kim.jpeg

Dr. Young-Ho Kim

Naver AI Lab,

South Korea

Dr. Khalad Hasan.jpg

Dr. Khalad Hassan

Computer Science,

University of British Columbia, Canada

Alex Williams.jpg

Dr. Alex Williams

Amazon Research,

USA

ischtiaque ahmed.jpeg

Dr. Ishtiaque Ahmed

Computer Science,

University of Toronto, Canada

shion guha.png

Dr. Shion Guha

Faculty of Information, 

University of Toronto, Canada

tony tang.jpg

Dr. Tony Tang

School of Computer and Information Systems at the Singapore Management University, Singapore

Dr. Jessica R. Cauchard.jpg

Dr. Jessica Cauchard

Industrial Engineering and Management, Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Israel

Joseph Jay Williams_edited.jpg

Dr. Joseph J. Williams

Computer Science,

University of Toronto, Canada

Cosmin_Munteanu.jpeg

Dr. Cosmin Munteanu

Systems Design Engineering,

University of Waterloo, Canada

bottom of page